37 year old Jacob Decker finds himself back in Gnaw Bone, Colorado, running into Emmanuelle Holmes (Emme), nine years after they had last parted ways. Emme had been Jacob’s then girl friend Elsbeth’s best friend, and Emme and Jacob had shared a connection that had surpassed anything he had had with Elsbeth. However, Jacob had walked away once things had ended with Elsbeth, taking with him the one thing that Emme had given him, urging him to see the beauty of what he could have, if he were to look hard enough and seek it.

When Emme and Jacob run into each other, the only thing that stops Jacob from staking a claim is the fact that Emme has a man by her side, a man who Jacob is investigating in a string of crimes that had been happening around Gnaw Bone. Once these two meet though, there is no denying the fact that the feeling of connectedness that they had shared before still exists and the unexplored and unacknowledged feelings of desire and want on each others part runs deeper than ever.

While it might seem that Jacob and Emme would find their happily ever after in the most straightforwards a manner, the story proceeds to throw so many curve balls your way. Emme has a lot of stuff to deal with, the aftereffects of an event that had taken place in her childhood that she had never properly dealt with. The feelings of disconnectedness that tends to have a stronghold of her emotions drives Jacob crazy, but if there is one thing that Jacob is good at, it is solving puzzles of the kind that would make a lesser man give up.

After the disappointment that Law Man turned out to be, I think I found a bit of the Kristen Ashley that I remember from Dream Man inside of Kaleidoscope. The uber alpha hero is totally present with Jacob supplying more than enough sexy to the story from his dominance in the bedroom to the way he takes care of the woman he loves. And Emme proved to be the sort of heroine who could give as good as she got and also knew to take a step back when required.

Though sometimes I wish that Kristen’s characters would talk to each other instead of around each other, somehow with the sort of charm that only Kristen can pull off, it seems to work. The one aspect that I found lacking in the story was how rushed up the suspense aspect of the novel was in comparison to the romance aspect. The balance seemed to be sort of off in this story. Another thing that continued to irk was the fact that Jacob makes such a huge deal out of keeping his career a secret from Emme. Though that’s what he had done with each of his girlfriends, I just couldn’t understand why he couldn’t share his work, perhaps not all aspects of it but some, that would have showed in reality that he trusts her on a level that he hasn’t or doesn’t with anyone else. So, even though Kaleidoscope didn’t come close to the caliber of that of Dream Man, it still managed to deliver a story that entertained.

Final Verdict: Contains the classic elements of a Kristen Ashley that makes Kaleidoscope a good read!

Favorite Quotes

I closed my eyes tight, put my forehead in my hand, my elbow to my knee and I whispered, “What if you don’t like the way I kiss?”“I’ll like the way you kiss,” he whispered back.“What if you don’t?”“You’re the smartest woman I know, baby, you’ll learn to give me what I like.”

Fuck, she smelled of strawberries and tasted like them too. Fresh, cool and sweet.At the touch of his tongue, Emme went completely still.Deck pressed his advantage and deepened the kiss, drinking from her mouth, taking all he could get.Christ. Unbelievable.It became more unbelievable.Because two seconds in, she… went… wild.

Then he slid down, yanked down the zippers on her boots, tugged them off, then socks, jeans, panties, all cast aside.“Spread,” he growled.On another sexy mew, Emme spread.Deck bent forward and fed.Christ. Hot. Drenched. Pure beauty. Absolute.

“More,” she breathed.That was all Deck needed.He pounded deep, watched and felt her reach for it, take hold and slide over the side, crying out, her neck arced, the elegant line of her jaw exposed, then her head shot forward and she buried her face in his neck.He rode her hard, harder, then he planted himself, and Emme’s fire dancing behind his eyes, Emme his entire universe, Deck exploded on a long, deep groan.

“Jacob!” I gasped.“Now this,” he grunted as he thrust, “this, baby, is fun.”He could say that again.He didn’t.He kissed me.I came again a few seconds later.Then he did the same a minute after that.

I knew it was leaving him when he planted himself inside and stayed there, not moving, hands gripping my hips, pads of his fingers digging in and there was something about being connected to him like that, held by him like that, no movement, just that.All that he had was his. My sex. My hips. My body on its knees before him. Just his.I was Jacob’s.

He covered her, took her mouth and thrust deep.Her arms rounded him and her whimper raced down his throat.Soon, her pussy convulsed as she took his cock and her whimpers turned to heated mews.But he was close too.And he brought them home together, bodies and mouths connected, her cry mingled with groan.Magnificent.